Otokage

Allies: Part Two

It was still winter and snow lazily floated down from the sky. Sakura was clothed in a pair of black unisex pants and a long sleeved red turtleneck. A shoulder bag sat against her hip, holding the scrolls she needed and a few pieces of spare clothes. She really hoped she could gather all these allies and bring Otogakure out of the dirt.

'I wonder why you can't apply this fierce loyalty with Konohagakure.'

Sakura grit her teeth.

'What? You were born there. Raised there. And you left with the man who was once loyal to that snakeskin. Such a lower piece of shit you've become, abandoning your friends for a place that meant nothing to you.'

'You were the one who told me to do it in the first place!'

'And guess who I am. I'm still you, so you know I'm telling you nothing but the harsh truth.'

She exhaled loudly.

'What was that thing Kakashi told us? Ah, yes. In the shinobi world, those who break the rules are trash, that's true, but those who abandon their comrades are worse than trash. And look here, you've managed to do both in one fell swoop. Bravo. You're a true hero.'

Sakura pressed two fingers to her temple and attempted to soothe her frayed nerves. Inner had been more vocal than normal, giving her more pulsing headaches than she needed. She sighed and tried to focus on the path ahead of her, not expecting the set of talons that suddenly dug into her shoulder. Sakura winced and saw that it was an owl that looked much like the one she healed before arriving in Otogakure.

"Um... hello?" she addressed reluctantly. "Can I... do something for you?"

Its eyes bore into her a long while. "I've heard many things about you, Haruno Sakura," it, no, she crooned. "And from what I've seen thus far, I would say that those things are true. Really, I first saw those things when you took the time out of your journey to heal my wing. For that, I give thanks."

Sakura blinked. She stared at the bird more intently, barely making out the summoning symbol on her stomach. It was blended brilliantly with the color of her feathers, giving an understandable reason to why she hadn't seen it the first time.

"I—you're welcome, I guess. So..."

"Bunko."

"Bunko-san, what have you heard of me? I think the word on the street is that I'm missing and have been issued an alert if anyone from Konoha sees me. A lot of people have also started to call me a traitor, so there's that too," she remarked numbly. And it was true. She heard that the council had ruled her disappearance an act of treason, and if she was spotted, she would be forcefully brought back to her home village and tried in the court.

Normally, such aggressive action wouldn't be taken against someone who wasn't a confirmed missing-nin, but she wasn't an ordinary case. She was the apprentice of the Hokage, and with such privilege, she was granted access to restricted areas and to information vital to Konoha's core. Her leaving plus knowledge that she probably shouldn't have been allowed with equaled someone the council couldn't take a chance with.

"I wasn't speaking about those aspects. Titles are never important. I was referring to your nature," Bunko replied. Sakura's brow furrowed.

"Nature? Chakra nature?"

"No. Owls have a very sharp sense of sight, you see, far better than any humans. In addition to us being able to utilize chakra, our eyes have somewhat evolved. We are able to see through any lie, genjutsu, or intent. When you healed me, I saw something interesting in you. You're a gentle soul, kind and caring. Your intentions are pure and yet, you leave your village to rebuild another. It's strange," she mused. Bunko flapped her wings a bit.